upbraideth Ithobal, then king of Tyre, with the infolent and proud conceit he had of his own knowledge and understanding, having puffed up himself herewith, as if he were wifer than Daniel; and that there was no fecret that could be hid from him :" which fheweth to how great an height the fame of Daniel's widom was at that time grown, fince it now became spoken of, by way of proverb, through all the east; and yet, according to the account above given of his age, he could not at this time exceed 36 years. And, in the conclufion of the 28th chapter, the like judgements are denounced also againft Sidon, and for the fame reafon.

The fame year God declared, by the fame prophet, his judgements against Pharaoh and the Egyptians: that he would bring the king of Babylon againft them, and deliver them into his hands; and that, notwithstanding their greatnefs and pride, they should no more escape his revenging hand than the Aflyrians had done before them, who were higher and greater than they. And this is the subject of the 30th and 31ft chapters of his prophecies.

b

In the 4th month, on the 9th day of the month, of the fame 11th year of Zedekiah, Jerufalem was taken by the Chaldeans, after the siege had lafted, from their laft fetting down before it, about a year. Hereon Zedekiah, with his men of war, fled away; and, having broken through the camp of the enemy, endeavoured to make his efcape over Jordan: but, be ing pursued after, he was overtaken in the plains of Jericho : whereon, all his army being fcattered from him, he was taken prifoner, and carried to the king of Babylon at Riblah in Syria, where he then refided; who, having caused his fons, and all his princes that were taken with him, to be flain before his face, commanded his eyes to be put out, and then bound him in fetters of brafs, and fent him to Babylon, where he died in prifon and hereby was fulfilled the prophecy of the prophet Ezekiel concerning him, That he should be brought to Babylon in the land of the Chaldeans, yet fhould not tee the place, though he should die there.

In the 5th month, on the 7th day of the month (i.e. towards the end of our July), came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guards, to the king of Babylon, to Jerufalem; and, after having taken out all the veffels of the houfe of the Lord, and gathered together all the riches that could be found, either in the king's houfe, or in any of the other houfes of the city, he did, on the

* Ezekiel xxviii. 3.

10th

b2 Kings xxv. 4. 2 Chr. xxxvi .17. Jer. xxxix. 2-10. lii. 6---11.

Ezek. xii. 13.

d 2 Kings XXV. 8---17- Jer. lii. 12---23,

10th day of the fame month, pursuant to the command of his mafter, fet both the temple and city on fire, and abfolutely confumed and destroyed them both, overthrowing all the walls, fortreffes, and towers, belonging thereto, and wholly razing and levelling to the ground every building therein, till he had brought all to a thorough and perfect defolation; and fo it continued for 52 years after, till, by the favour of Cyrus, the Jews being released from their captivity, and restored again to their own land, repaired thefe ruins, and built again their holy city. In memory of this calamity, they keep two fafts, even to this day, the 17th of the 4th month (which falls in our June) for the deftruction of Jerufalem, and the 9th of the 5th month (which falls in our July,) for the deftruction of the temple; both which are made mention of in the prophecies of the prophet Zechariah, under the names of the faft of the 4th month, and the faft of the 5th month, and are there spoken of as annually obferved from the deftruction of Jerufalem to his time, which was 70 years after. Jofephus remarks, that the burning of the temple by Nebuchadnezzar happened on the very fame day of the year on which it was afterwards again burned by Titus.

Nebuzaradan, having thus deftroyed the city and the temple of Jerufalem, made all the people he found there captives. Of thefe, he took Seraiah the high priest, and Zephaniah the fecond prieft, and about 70 others of the principal perfons he found in the place, and carried them to Riblah to Nebuchadnezzar, who caused them all there to be put to death. Of the rest of the people, he left the poorer fort to till the ground, and drefs their vineyards, and made Gedaliah, the fon of Ahikam, governor over them, and all the other he carried away to Babylon.

e

But concerning Jeremiah, Nebuchadnezzar gave particular charge to Nebuzaradan, that he fhould offer him no hurt, but look well to him, and do for him in all things according as he fhould defire. And therefore, as foon as he came to Jerufalem, with commiffion to destroy the place, he and the princes that were with him fent and took him out of prison, where he had lain bound from the time that Zedekiah had put him there, and reftored him to his liberty; and, having carried him with him as far as Ramah, on his return to Nebuchadnezzar, he then gave him his option, whether he would go with him to Babylon,

2 Zechariah viii, 19.

F3

b De Bello Judaico, lib. vii. c. 10.

2 Kings xxv. 18.-21. Jer. lii. 24.---27.

¿ 2 Kings xxv. 22-25. Jer. xxxix. 9. 10. & lii. 15. 16.

Jer. xxxix. 11.-14. & xl. 1.-6.

where

where he should be well looked after, and maintained at the king's charge, or elfe remain in the land; and he having chofen the latter, Nebuzaradan gave him victuals and a reward, and fent him back to Gedaliah the fon of Ahikam, with an especial charge to take care of him.

After Nebuchadnezzar was returned to Babylon, a all those who before, for fear of the Chaldeans, had taken refuge among the neighbouring nations, or had hid themselves in the fields and the deferts, after their escape, on the difperfion of Zedekiah's army in the plains of Jericho, hearing that Gedaliah was made governor of the land, reforted to him; and, he having promised them protection, and fworn unto them, that they should be fafe under his government, they fettled themselves again in the land, and gathered in the fruits of it. The chief among these were Johanan and Jonathan the fons of Kereah, Seraiah the fon of Tanhumeth, Azariah the fon of Hofhaiah, Ishmael the fon of Nethaniah, and others.

b

But Ishmael came to him only out of a treacherous defign; for, being of the feed-royal, he reckoned to make himself king of the land, now the Chaldeans were gone; and, for the accomplishing of it, had formed a confpiracy to kill Gedaliah, and feize the government; and Baalis, the king of the Ammonites, was confederated with him herein. But Johanan, the fon of Kereah, having got notice of it, he, and all the chief men of the rest of the people, went to Gedaliah, and informed him of it, propofing to kill Ishmael, and thereby deliver him from the mischief that was intended against him. But Gedaliah being of a very benign dif pofition, and not eafy to entertain jealoufies of any one, would not believe this of Ishmael, but ftill carried on a friendly correfpondence with him; of which Ihmael, taking the advantage, came to him in the feventh month, which anfwers to our September, when the people were most of them fcattered abroad from him to gather in the fruits of the land, and while they were eating and drinking together at an entertainment, which Gedaliah had in a very friendly manner made for him and his men, they rofe upon him, and flew him, and, at the same time, flew also a great number of the Jews and Chaldeans, whom they found with him in Mizpah, and took the reft captive. And the next day, hearing of eighty men, who were going on a religious account, with offerings and incenfe to the house of God, they craftily drew

b Jer. xl. 13.-16.

C

© Jer. xli.

them

Jer. xl. 7.-12. die. At Jerufalem; for though the temple were deftroyed, yet the people that were left, continued to offer ficrifices and worthip there on the place where it flood, as long as they remained in the land.

them into Mizpah, and there flew them all, excepting ten of them, who offered their ftores for the redemption of their lives. And then taking with them all the captives, among whom were the daughters of King Zedekiah, they departed thence to go over to the Ammonites. But Johanan the son of Kereah, and the rest of the captains, hearing of this wicked fact, immediately armed as many of the people as they could get together, and purfued after Ishmael; and, having overtaken him at Gibeon, retook all the captives; but he and eight of his men efcaped to the Ammonites. This murder of Gedaliah happened two months after the deftruction of the city and temple of Jerufalem, in the faid feventh month, and on the 30th day of the month. For that day the Jews have kept as a faft in commemoration of this calamity ever fince; and Zechariah alfo makes mention of it as obferved in his time, calling it by the name of the faft of the feventh month; and they had reason to keep a fast for it, for it was the completion of their ruin.

After this great misfortune, Johanan the fon of Kereah, and the people that were left, fearing the king of Babylon, becaufe of the murder of Gedaliah whom he had made governor of the land, departed from Mizpah, to flee into the land of Egypt, and came to Bethlehem in their way thither: where they stopping a while confulted the prophet Jeremiah (whom they had carried with them) about their intended journey, and defired him to inquire of God in their behalf; who, after ten days, having received an anfwer from God, called them together, and told them, that if they would tarry in the land, all fhould go well with them, and God would fhew mercy unto them, and incline the heart of the king of Babylon to be favourable unto them; but if they would not hearken unto the word of the Lord, but, would, not withstanding his word now delivered to the contrary, fet their faces to go into the land of Egypt, that then the fword and famine fhould follow clofe after them thither, and they should be all there deflroyed. But all this was of no effect with them: for, their hearts being violently bent to go into Egypt, they would not hearken to the word of the Lord spoken to them by the mouth of his prophet, but told Jeremiah, that the answer which he gave them, was not from God, but was fuggefted to him by Baruch the fon of Neriah for their hurt. And therefore Johanan the fon of Kereah, and the rest of the captains of the forces, took all the remnant of Judah, that were returned, from all nations whither they had been driven, again to dwell in the land, and all the perfons whom Nebuzaradan had F 4 left

a Zechariah viii. 19.

b Jeremiah !ii.

left with Gedaliah, even men, women, and children, and the king's daughters, and alfo Jeremiah the prophet, and Baruch the son of Neriah, and went into Egypt, and fettled in that country, till the plagues and judgements which God had threatened them with, for their difobedience to his word, there overtook them, to their utter deftruction. And thus ended this unfortunate year, in which the temple and city of Jerufalem were destroyed, and the whole land of Judah brought in a manner to utter defolation for the fins thereof.

THE